


Even Alone I’m Not Lonely

by GracefullyEmmaginative



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: A couple curse words, BAMF Peter Parker, Dead May Parker (Spider-Man), Explosions, Female Peter Parker, Gen, Gun Violence, Hurt Peter Parker, Iron Dad, NOT STARKER - Freeform, Orphan Peter Parker, Other, Penny Parker - Freeform, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, The Avengers Are Good Bros, The Avengers as family - Freeform, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, anti starker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:27:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26622124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GracefullyEmmaginative/pseuds/GracefullyEmmaginative
Summary: Penny stood up from her perch and turned her back to The Tower with the intention of heading back closer to Queens when a bolt of electricity zapped down her spine, causing her hair to stand on end and her chest to clench.  She had just enough time to duck down and Shield her eyes before an explosion shook the tower before her, the shockwave knocking her onto her back with a grunt, her vision blurring around the edges as smoke filled the sky instantly.  It took her a moment to regain her bearings, her head swimming as she slowly sat up and looked at the wreckage before her.  She had to blink a few times, not just to clear her vision from the floating dust and smoke around her, but to truly comprehend what just happened.Avengers Tower, complete and whole just a moment ago, had a huge gaping whole right through it's core, fire slowly engulfing it's structureOrAvengers tower is attacked and Morgan would have been kidnapped by Hydra if not for a very mysterious Spidering who happens to be at the right place at the right time.
Relationships: Bruce Banner & Peter Parker, Helen Cho & Peter Parker, James "Bucky" Barnes & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Natasha Romanov, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Sam Wilson, Peter Parker & Steve Rogers, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 41
Kudos: 452





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for clicking on my work! So, this work is almost complete and will most likely have four parts, updates every Wednesday! 
> 
> I really hope you enjoy! 💜

Penny listened closely to the bustling streets below her, her senses sweeping for any signs of trouble while simultaneously making sure she didn’t run face first into one of the many skyscrapers that poked out of NewYork’s skyline. After patrolling around Queen’s for the majority of the night, and only succeeding in helping an older couple with their groceries, and stopping a group of bullies from picking on a kid half their age, Penny decided to widen her horizons and take a quick swing into Manhattan. She didn’t go often, but she knew enough about the layout to get around. 

“Okay—“ The young hero sighed, landing on a shorter building so she could fiddle with the radio in her pocket. She tuned it until police chatter filled her ears, and listened closely for anything that would need her assistance— “What do we got?” After a moment of nothing but public indecencies and minor defenses, she decided to continue making her way around the borough, subconsciously heading towards the heart of the city, where Avengers Tower stood for all to see, a symbol of peace to all it's beholders, and a warning to anyone with ill intentions. 

Penny perched on the building adjacent to it, not daring to get anywhere close in fear of setting off one of it's many alarms, and just stared for a moment in awe. She looked up and could just barely make out the top of the tower, the late night sky and wispy clouds making it look to be never ending. 

It truly was a magnificent structure.

Penny stood up from her perch and turned her back to The Tower with the intention of heading back closer to Queens when a bolt of electricity zapped down her spine, causing her hair to stand on end and her chest to clench. She had just enough time to duck down and Shield her eyes before an explosion shook the tower before her, the shockwave knocking her onto her back with a grunt, her vision blurring around the edges as smoke filled the sky instantly. It took her a moment to regain her bearings, her head swimming as she slowly sat up and looked at the wreckage before her. She had to blink a few times, not just to clear her vision from the floating dust and smoke around her, but to truly comprehend what just happened. 

Avengers Tower, complete and whole just a moment ago, had a huge gaping whole right through it's core, fire slowly engulfing it's structure. 

“What the fuck—” Penny whispered, rising to her feet, unable to peel her eyes away from the destruction“—what the fuck.” She shook her head to clear away the shock, and raised her arm with all the intents and purposes of swinging down to help with the evacuation, when something again halted her movements, a fast blur out of the corner of her eye catching her attention. 

A figure, holding something wrapped tightly in cloth, was making a quick retreat away from The Tower, weaving through buildings and jumping over rooftops with the grace of a trained athlete. 

“Well that’s not suspicious at all.” She took one last glance at the raging fire before swinging as fast as she could after the retreating figure, tracking their movements without difficulty. She caught up to them in no time, the closer she got, the more the thing the person was holding harshly in their grasp started to take shape. Even with all the jostling, Penny could see that something was moving under the blanket on their own accord, and everything started to click into place. 

“What the fuck—“ Penny couldn’t help but whisper again, because she was almost positive that there was a kid under that blanket, and she knew exsacly who it was. 

She swung ahead, landing right in front of them with just enough time to grasp the bundle out of the culprits arms before they leapt off the building, Penny wrapped a secure arm around the trembling kid now in her hold. She tucked the girls head firmly into her shoulder before whispering into her ear. 

“You're okay, I’ve got you now honey.” Penny looked up, catching sight of the man on the other building, a small gap of space keeping them separated. 

“I’m pretty sure she doesn't belong to you.” Spider-Women sneered out, keeping her voice low in hopes of intimidating the man. He was wearing a tight ski mask over his features, and his structure greatly surpassed her own, but still, she didn’t back down. She took a few calculated steps back when he made a move towards them, but otherwise stayed fierce in her resolve. 

“Give her back, and no one has to get hurt.” The man bit out, looking seconds away from leaping across the gap and tearing the child from her arms, but all Penny did was scoff.

“Not going to happen, man; you’ve lost. Just turn yourself in and—“ Penny predicted his move of attack before he made it, and side stepped just in time for him to leap across the building, a well aimed punch directed at her head. Penny swung a leg out just as he got a foot planted on the roof she was on, effectively knocking him down. She backed up a bit more to regain the space between them before whispering once more to the child in her arms. 

“Hey, I’m going to put you down for a second; alright? I promise that I won’t let anybody hurt you.” She wasted no time in setting the girl down behind her, having just enough time to pull the blanket over her head before extending her right foot in an arch, connecting with the man’s jaw as he lunged for her from behind. She watched as he once again rolled to a stop on the jagged roof top, climbing to his feet a moment later and crunching down into a fighting stance. Penny did the same, making sure to keep the bungle of shaking fabric directly behind her. 

“You're not getting her, so you might as well give up.” The teen knew he wouldn’t, but she was willing to try. She waited for him to make the first move, watching closely as he lunged forward. She caught his wrist just as it was about to strike her rib cage, and twisted it sharply to the right, smirking when she heard the loud crack that echoed through the night air, the man screamed and desperately tried to retaliate, but she twisted his arm behind him, grabbing his left hand when made an attempt to grab her hair, and securely webbed his limbs together. She wrapped up his legs and entire body until he was completely encased in her webs, and smirked when he weakly thrashed around. 

“Yeah, good luck trying to get out of that.” She made her way back over to the bundle of blankets, ignoring the man as he spewed curse words at her. “You shouldn’t curse in front of children.” She webbed his mouth shut for good measure before completely turning her attention back to the child before her. 

Penny carefully lowered the fabric from off the girls head, heart clenching tightly when she noticed the lines of salty tears that trailed down the girls face. She got down on one and put a gentle hand on the girls head. 

“You’re okay sweetheart, you’re alright. I’m not going to let anybody hurt you. Can you look at me?” She waited until the girl's watery eyes met her own before continuing. “Hi, what’s your name, huh?” 

The girl hiccuped, bringing up a closed fist to wipe at her over flowing eyes, “Morgan.” Penny smiled and slowly started to wrap the blanket tighter around her shaking shoulders when she noticed she was just in her pajamas. She didn’t seem hurt at all, which was good.

“Hi Morgan, I’m Spider-Women. I’m going to bring you back to your mommy and daddy alright? I just got to call someone to pick up this bad guy.” Penny quickly took out her phone and called 911, telling them her location before scooping Morgan back into her arms. 

“He took me from my bed when that loud noise happened.” Morgan cried into her shoulder, and Penny couldn’t help but clench her jaw. 

He planted a bomb in Avengers Tower just so he could kidnap Tony Stark’s daughter; for what, money? There was no way he could have done it by himself. 

“That must have been really scary, I’m so sorry you had to go through that, but I promise to bring you back to your parents, alright?” Morgan nodded, wrapping her arms tightly around Penny’s neck. 

“I know you will, you’re Spider-Women.” Penny grinned, slowly making her way down the fire escape in lue of jumping off like she normally would. 

“You’ve heard of me?”

“Of course I have! Daddy talks about you all the time. He sometimes lets me watch YouTube videos of you stopping cars and helping people. You’re really strong.” 

Hold up, Tony Stark—Iron Man— talks about me all the time? 

“Seriously?” Penny was honestly shocked, having no idea that people as elite as The Avengers even knew she existed. Sure she helped out here and there, but nothing that she did was really worthy of catching Iron Man's attention. 

“You’re my favorite superhero.” Morgan said, and the funny thing was, Penny believed her. She was looking at her with such trust and awe—the same look she got when she looked at her heroes— that she couldn’t help but be touched. 

“Come on, let’s get you back to your family before you make me cry.”

——

Back at the tower, admits the destruction and chaos, Tony and Pepper Stark we’re losing their fucking minds. 

The first thing they did when the alarm sounded, and the explosive knocked both of them off their feet, was run to their daughters room, expecting to find her huddled under her blankets waiting for them to come get her, but instead were met with an empty room. Morgan wasn’t hiding in the closet, nor was she under her bed. She wasn’t anywhere. 

Their floor was slowly filling with smoke from the lower floors, and their six year old daughter was nowhere to be found. Tony ran past his wife and burst into the living room, searching under tables and behind the couch, but panic was starting to encase him with each passing moment. 

“Morgan!?” He screamed, coughing when smoke entered his lungs. He put a hand over his face and kept searching, sure that she was somewhere hiding in fear. “MORGAN?!” 

Steve bursted through the stairway then, panting and covered in ash. “Tony we have to go—“ The man cut him off, paying him no mind as he continued his frantic search. Pepper came up to him, having checked the bathroom and every kitchen cabinet, but her empty arms and tear filled eyes gave him his answer. 

“We can't find Morgan!” Tony screamed, pushing the Super Soldiers hand off his shoulder when he grabbed him. 

“The building could come down at any moment, the whole middle structure has been compromised- we have to go—“ Pepper could see that Steve was struggling, eyes roaming over every surface in search of the girl he called his niece, but choosing to take the authoritarian role.

“I’m not leaving without my daughter Rodgers!” 

“Did you check everywhere?” Steve asked, ushering the distraught parents towards the stairway. 

“She’s not here! I don’t understand how she couldn’t be here! We put her to bed an hour ago—“ Tony was cut off by a loud creaking, Steve having just enough sense to pull both his friends into the stairway before the floor caved in, the tower starting to lean precariously. 

“No!” Pepper screamed in anguish, landing in a huddle beside her husband. Steve grabbed both of them by the arms and dragged them down the stairs. 

“She wasn’t up there! You looked everywhere and she wasn’t there. She must have got down somehow.” 

“She’s fucking six Rodgers, how the fuck would she have gotten down the stairs—“ they had no time to talk, Steve’s urgencies was the only thing keeping the group moving. It was clear that Tony and Pepper had no regards for their own safety right now. He all but pushed them down each flight of stairs, grabbing them when they tried to make their way back up. 

“She wasn’t there! Listen to me, Morgan wasn’t up there. We have to believe that she made it outside and is with the others right now.” Steve could tell that his tone of voice wasn’t one-hundred percent convincing, but he couldn’t worry about that right now. 

They broke through the final exit door a few minutes later, tears in their eyes that weren’t all caused by the smoke. Tony and Pepper wasted no time in running out into the crowd, eyes only for their missing daughter. 

“MORGAN!?” heads turned, the rest of the heroes rushing over to the frantic screams of their friends. 

“What happened?!” Rhodey yelled, rushing up to Tony and Pepper and looking around for the final piece of their family. “Where’s Mor—“ 

“SHE'S NOT HERE!” Everyone watched as Tony and Pepper Stark fell to their knees, openly sobbing into the NewYork street they landed on. Tony suddenly rushed to his feet, attempting to make a break for The Tower, but his best friend was two steps ahead, wrapping his arms around the younger man and falling to the ground with him. 

“Let me go goddamnit! Let me fucking go- MORGAN!” Tony was spiraling, his breathing picking up experimentally, his pupils blown wide with panic and fear. Pepper was much of the same, sobbing into her hands as Natasha tried to comfort her, but each hero had tears in their eyes, gazes wondering the streets as if the little girl would suddenly appear and jump into their open arms. 

Sam and Bucky looked at each other silently before making their way up to Steve, who was watching The Tower burn down silently. Bucky placed his flesh hand on his shoulder, but offered no other comfort. 

“I made them go.” The Captain whispered, his steely resolve faltering. Sam wrapped his arms around his friend's shoulders and forced his head into the crook of his neck when the first sob escaped. 

“You know they wouldn’t have left without her, Steve. You saved them.” 

The firefighters were desperately trying to put out the raging inferno that The Tower had become, but it was a losing battle. They were soon ushered back to a safer distance, medical rushing up to them and forcing them onto gurneys, and strapping oxygen masks to their faces. 

Tony screams had slowly stopped, realization setting in. A whisper was all they could make out before he went completely silent next to his wife. 

“Oh God.”

——

Penny was rushing back to The Tower as fast as she could with a bundled six year old in her arms, sprinting past buildings and jumping over fallen crates and boxes without so much as a look back. The man had gotten a couple of blocks away with Morgan before she had caught up with him, more and more of his plan falling into place the more she thought about it. 

He kidnapped Morgan from her room after she was put to bed before setting off the bomb. When Morgan is nowhere to be found, everyone’s undoubtedly going to think she died in the fire, leaving no trace of her kidnapping. 

Meaning that everyone probably thought Morgan was dead. 

Meaning Penny had to hurry. 

God, they must be so distraught and worried right now. That thought only pushed Penny to move faster, her lungs aching at the strain, but she forced herself to keep moving. 

“Are you okay Morgan?” She called over her shoulder, wrapping her arms just a little tighter around the girl when she nodded back. “We’re almost home.” Penny could just nearly see the remains of the tower though the smoke that was filling the sky. Penny coughed out the smoke in her lungs, her mask doing little to protect her. She slowed down once she made it in front of The Tower, weaving through the mass of police officers and medical personnel until she caught sight of Morgan’s Family. She placed the girl down on her feet, kneeling down in front of her, her breath still coming out in fast puffs. 

“Are you okay?” Morgan asked, hand clutching the teens arm. 

“I’m fire sweetheart, do you think you can explain what happened to your Mommy and Daddy? There’s still something I have to do.” Penny asked, keeping an I on everyone around her. She wasn’t used to being masked and around so many people. 

“Yeah, I think I can.” Morgan launched herself into the girls arms once more before Penny could make her leave. “Thank you for saving me, Spider-Women; will I ever see you again?” 

Penny smiled, and leaned into the girl's embrace, “of course Morgan, and I’m sure I will see you around. Now go on; go see your parents.” Penny stood once Morgan ran off towards her family, smiling at her greeting. 

“Mommy! Daddy!” Penny watched as each hero’s head snapped up at the girl's calls, her parents stumbling to their feet with looks of absolute shock on their faces. 

The young hero couldn’t bring herself to leave, blending into the crowd and watching the family reunite from a far. 

“Morgan?!” Tony Stark once again fell to his knees, but this time it was so he could gather his daughter into his arms, crying tears of joy instead of anguish. Penny watched as Pepper Stark wrapped her arms around her family, her heart clenching at the sight. 

Morgan was talking loudly to her parents, but Penny couldn’t make out what was being said over the crowd and flames that still raged on above them. 

She only left once Morgan pointed back at her, catching Tony Stark’s gaze for a second before she shot out a web and swung back the way she came, leaving their calls to reach nothing but the night air. 

——

Penny made it back to the rooftop a few short minutes later, not surprised to see the man still bound tightly by her webbing. She walked slowly over to him and nudged him over onto his back with her foot. He grunted when his back hit the rooftop, glaring at her when she continued to nudge him with her shoe. She reached down and ripped the webbing off his face, pulling with a little more strength then she needed too, but he deserved it. 

“Hi, me again. I have no problem leaving you up here all night for the police to find, if they ever do, or I’ll do you a favor and web you to their front step if you answer a few of my questions.” The guy only glared, spitting right onto her pants leg in an final act of intimidation. “Well that was gross, and so unsanitary; What is with men and spitting on people when they don’t get their way, huh?” She nudged him again, a little harder this time, before leaning down. “I guess I didn’t make myself clear; you’re going to answer my questions one way or another, it’s only a matter of whether you want to leave this rooftop with one broken arm or two.” She whispered, moving to clutch his arm through her webbing, slowly tightening her grip. 

“Where’s your partner?” The man glared, but Penny could see the fear that shone in his eyes. 

“I don’t have a partner.” She tightened her grip a bit more, smirking when he started to squirm. 

“See, I don’t believe that for a second, no way you planted the bomb, grabbed Tony Stark’s kid, and made it out of The Tower by yourself. Tell me who you work for.” She enunciated each word with a steady increase in pressure, and soon he was grunting out all the answers she needed. 

“Hydra.” She loosened her grip at that, rocking back on her heels for a moment before scuffing. 

Of course—of fucking course— Hydra was still around, because not even a purple, stone wielding manic could get rid of them. 

She looked back down and put a foot on the guys already crushed arm, not putting any pressure on it— yet. 

“Where’s your base?” The guy stayed loyal to his lost cause, keeping silent, and Penny was just about to keep her light interrogation going when someone—or two someone’s— walked up behind her. She lowered her foot and spun around, ready to fight off whoever came back to pick up their lackey, when she came face to face with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, both in civilian clothes and covered in ash, but looking no less fierce. 

Penny stilled, about to approach the men when the goon at her feet started spieling his cause at the sight of two Avengers. 

“We shall never be destroyed! Cut off one limb, and two more shall take—“ Penny signed, flicking her wrist and webbing the guys mouth shut once more. 

“Yeah, yeah I know. Cut off one—lots of limbs— just shut up.” Penny rubbed a hand against her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. It’s been a long night, and she still has to make it all the way back to Queens. 

“He’s Hydra?” Sergeant Barnes asked, making his way over to the man on the ground and nudging him with his boot much like she had. 

“Apparently. I thought they had all dwindled off and died when Thanos snapped away half the universe, but these guys are like cockroaches.” Penny slowly approached the two heroes, unsure of what exactly was going on, or why they had followed her. It was Mr. Wilson who approached first, hand extending out in greeting. 

“Sam Wilson, The Falcon, nice to meet in person Spider-Women.” Penny took his hand, shaking it a few times before letting go. 

“It’s good to meet you too, sir, but can I ask what you’re doing here?” 

“Morgan told us what you did, that you saved her, and we saw you swing away and wanted to make sure you were okay. Now we see you were coming back for this guy; what were you planning on doing with him?” Penny turned towards Sargent Barnes when he came up to her, and shook his hand as well when it was presented. 

“I was just planning on webbing him to the door of the police station, but now that I know he’s Hydra, it’s probably best for you to take him, if you wanted to that is.” 

“Yeah, we’ll take him off your hands; I’m sure we can figure out what makes him talk.” Penny nodded, glad that the guy was sorted out without too much trouble on her part, and was just about to make her leave when she was stopped—again.

“Wait.” Mr. Wilson said, his hands up as if cornering a frightened animal. “We came here to ask if you’d come back to the compound with us, to debrief?” Penny glanced at her watch that was strapped tightly around her wrist, and blanched when she noticed it was already four-thirty in the morning. She whistled, already taking calculated steps back to put distance between her and the two older heroes. 

“Sorry, but I’ve really got to go; I’ve got work in like three hours, and really rather be showered and presentable for my shift.” She stepped up onto the ledge of the building, keeping her back to the group behind her. 

“Spider-Women has a day job?” Penny could hear a note of humor in the Winter Soldiers tone, and couldn’t help but smirk. 

“Well I got to eat, right?” She shot out a web towards the nearest building and left the others behind her, taking the quickest route she knew back to Queens. 

——

Penny was barely getting through her shift at her local coffee shop, her eyes dropping, and her hands almost shaking with the effort it took to make all the orders laid out in front of her. 

“Hot chocolate for Max!” She called out with as much of her usual public charisma as she could muster. She stole a glance at her watch, and cringed when she noticed she still had two hours left in her shifts. Her coworker must have noticed the absolutely exhausted look on her face, because he was soon shoving a rag into her hands and ushering her out from behind the counter. 

“Go clean the tables or something before you mix up almond and whole milk, and we end up getting sued.” Penny could see the concern in his eyes, and usually would protest the coddling, but she was just too tired, so she nodded. 

“Thanks Phineas.” Penny slowly wiped down all the empty tables before grabbing the broom and doing a quick sweep of the sitting area. The news was playing softly on the flat screen, displaying the incident that happened at Avengers Tower the night before, and Penny stopped for a moment to listen. Tony Stark was on screen, looking put together in a five piece suit and signature tinted glasses, but Penny could see the way he was clutching his left arm, and how he was grinding his jaw. The teen listened closely as he explained in detail what happened last night, absent mildly sweeping the floor around her. 

“Spider-Women single handedly saved my six year old daughter last night, and I would just like the chance to properly thank her for what she has done for me and my family—“ Penny froze, eyes widening in surprize—“ so if your watching this, Spider-Women, feel free to stop by the compound anytime, night or day; you’ll always be welcome in my home.” Tony Stark left with that closing statement, adjusting his glasses and going off screen. 

Penny took a look around her and noticed everyone was watching the press conference with rapt attention just like she was, because of course they were. Everyone knew Spider-Women was from Queens, and you could almost feel the pride as it filled up the tiny coffee shop, each resident beaming with rare genuine smiles. 

“It’s nice to hear that she’s finally getting the recognition she deserves.” An older gentleman to her right said, smiling into his plain cup of coffee. 

Penny went back to sweeping, a small smile gracing her features. 

—

The rest of her shift went by quickly, much to her relief, and soon she was climbing the dark stairwell of her apartment building, having gone straight home instead of going on patrol like she normally would. She was no use to anyone dead on her feet like she was, so she opened her door to her studio style apartment and fell face first onto her bed. She should probably eat something before taking her much needed nap, her super metabolism never one to give her a break, but she was just too tired. Penny closed her eyes and sighed into her pillow, falling asleep without trouble


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decide I’m going to update every three or so days, so here’s the next chapter! I really hope you enjoy, and I love reading everyone’s comments so feel free to leave one below! Kudos are nice to lol 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

The Avengers all gathered in the common room of The Compound, piling into the spacious living room with take-out containers and cans of soda. 

“Do you think she’s actually going to come here?” Bruce asked, stabbing a piece of chicken and popping it into his mouth. Sam and Bucky shared a quick look, a knowing glint in their eyes. 

“I don’t think she will.” Sam said, shrugging his shoulders indifferently—“you guys didn’t see her up on that roof, she acted aloof and unaffected, but she backed away as soon as we mentioned coming back to The Compound, looking almost scared at the idea.” Bucky nodded in agreement, a thoughtful look on his face. 

“I mean it makes sense. Spider-Women works alone; she’s probably not used to being around others like herself.” Bucky said, a sudden thought hitting him— “how old do you think she is?” 

“Young, probably younger then Wanda if I had to guess.” Steve said immediately, looking over at Tony, the man unusually quiet. “Tony?” 

Tony tuned back into the conversation around him, snapping his head up when his name was called. “Yeah?” He asked, clearly still lost in thought. 

“What do you think we should do about Spider-Women?” 

“What do you mean ‘what should we do about Spider-Women?’” He asked the Captain, getting slightly defensive without meaning to. He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and taking a breath. He definitely did not sleep last night.

“I just meant do you think we should wait for her to come to us, or try and track her down?” Steve said, pushing his empty take out container away. 

“We’re not going to force her to do anything she doesn't want to do, so nothing I guess. We’ll wait for her to come to us, if she ever does.” Tony said, standing up and gathering the empty containers into his hands. 

“Don’t you want to thank her?” Natasha was watching the exchange carefully, reading her teammates mannerisms. 

“Of course I want to thank her! She saved Morgan, it’s just—“ Tony froze, taking a deep breath, turning his back towards his friends. 

“Just what?” Natasha pushed, leaning forward in her seat. 

“She'll no longer just be ‘The Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Women' the second she starts associating with The Avengers. We’re name brand, everyone knows our every move, they’ll want to know her real identity, the press will ask why she hasn’t become an Avenger yet, and I don’t want to put that on her. If what we think is true, and she is young, then I’m not going to put her through that.” Tony made his way out of the living room after his spiel, feeling his heartbeat picking up with every passing second. 

It’s been a stressful day. Morgan has been insisting she’s fine, that she was scared but Spider-Woman saved her and it’s okay now, but it’s not. It’s so far from fine. 

He’s six year old daughter was kidnapped last night, and he couldn’t stop it from happening, let alone save her. No, Spider-Women swooped in and saved the day while he was bawling his eyes out in a NewYork gutter. 

And he was grateful, he owed her everything, she was the reason why Morgan was coloring in the next room over right now, but it was still hard. 

He walked into the room Morgan and Pepper were in and smiled as soon as his daughter noticed his presence in the doorway. She immediately jumped up and ran into his legs, raising her arms up in a silent plea to be picked up. 

“Hey baby; what are you coloring, huh?” Tony sat down on the ground next to her table and took her picture into his hands. 

It was of Spider-Women, swinging high above the skyscrapers, carrying a bundle of something in her arms. It was pretty eligible for a little kids drawing. 

“I’m going to give it to Spider-Women when I see her next! When do I get to see her again, daddy? She said I could see her again.” Morgan asked, turning around in her father's hold so she was facing his chest. 

“I’m not sure, honey; I’m sure you will see her again eventually, but she’s really busy, you know? She’s got lots of people to save.” Tony said, running a hand through his daughter's frizzy hair. 

“Like she saved me?” Morgan asked, head tilting innocently. 

“Like how she saved you.” The man said, kissing his daughter's forehead. 

——

Penny felt much better after her nap, stretching out in her bed for a minute before getting up and heading towards her little kitchenette, which consisted of a small fridge, a microwave, a portable hot plate, and a toaster oven. It’s not like she cooked very often— she was terrible at it, just like her aunt was— so it was really all she needed. 

She glanced over her tiny one room apartment, the bathroom the only thing not visible at all times, and smiled. 

She was lucky after all. 

After May died— a mugging a week after the snap— she decided that no way was she going into The System, so she got a job and graduated high school early, and showed proof to the court that she could take care of herself. 

She got emancipated almost a year ago at the age of sixteen, finding this tiny little apartment around the same time. 

The landlord, an older lady with a soft spot for struggling teens, agreed to lease the space to her, cutting her rent back and checking in on her every once and awhile, and in return she did maintenance around the building for free. It really was a win-win situation for everyone.

So, yes, Penny was lucky for once in her life. It wasn’t ideal, but she made due with what she was given just like she always had. 

She quickly made a couple of sandwiches for later before shoving one in her mouth and changing into her suit. She packed the snacks, her phone, and some cash into her small backpack before shutting off the lights and flipping out her window, landing on the fire escape with grace. Penny shot a web out and followed her normal route through Queens, finding a random building to perch on while she waited for something to happen. She scoured the bustling streets below for anything that looked suspicious or out of place, but people were just going about their day with no ill intentions as far as she could tell. With one final sweep of the area, she decided to move on to a different block, deciding that this little part of Queens was as safe as it was going to get. 

“Hey Spider-Women!” Penny was swinging past a random park in MidTown, not far from her old high school when she heard the call, a group of younger kids playing a game of basketball on the worn down court. She smiled and stopped with a flourish in front of them, flipping into a crouch. 

“Hey guys!” Penny smiled, giving each one of the kids with a smile. They all looked thrilled to even just be in her presence. 

To think that she—Penny Parker/Spider-Women— could have such impact on a group of school children was beyond her. 

“Are you guys having fun?” She asked, noticing their sweat filled hair and big smiles. 

“Yeah! I’m James, and this is Cameron, Henry, and Brandon. We were just playing a game of basketball; do you want to play with us?” James asked, bouncing almost as much as the ball he was dribbling, and Penny didn’t have the heart to decline, not that she wanted to anyways. It was a slow night, so she could spare a few minutes to entertain some kids. 

“I would love to, thanks for inviting me! How about we up the stakes a little bit though, huh? Me versus all of you, and if you can get the ball from me, then all buy you guys some ice cream from the truck over there. Sound good?” Penny laughed when each boy shouted out their agreements, vibrating at the thought of possibly having Spider-Women buy them ice cream. 

Penny was planning on getting them some either way, but they didn’t need to know that. 

“No one’s going to believe us when we tell them that Spider-Women played basketball with us!” Cameron yelled, and Penny smiled again, unable to hold back her enjoyment. 

She ran down the length of the blacktop as soon as James threw her the ball, making sure not to run too fast, but not taking it easy on them either. Penny stopped at the end of the court, dribbling the ball in place while she waited for them to catch up with her. She turned right before Henry's hand shot out to try and take the ball, switching hands and bouncing the ball just out of their reach. 

“You’re going to have to try harder than that!” Penny laughed, dogging each one of the boys' attempts at taking the ball from her hold. She took a few steps back to put some distance between them, grinning behind her mask the entire time. Each boy was laughing their heads off, faces red from the exertion and the mirth they were feeling. 

Penny kept up the dodging game for a little while longer, before pretending to stumble, allowing the ball to be transferred into Cameron’s hold. 

“Yes! I got it; we got the ball from Spider-Women!” Cameron said, hugging the ball to his chest like it was The Holy Grail, laughing along with his friends. 

“Yeah you did; good job buddy!” Penny said, high fixing each boy once more before going to where she had dropped her back pack. She took out a twenty and gestured to the ice cream truck behind them, “a-deal's-a-deal, so who wants some ice cream?” Penny almost doubled over from laughing so hard when all four boys immediately raced off to the truck, leaving her, and the money that was going to be paying for their treat, behind. 

The ice cream man’s face was priceless, widening in shock when he saw who walked up behind the group of kids at his counter. “What do you guys want?” Penny asked, looking at the menus herself to see if there was anything she wanted. Four little fingers immediately shot out to point at the same image, making Penny’s heart melt.

They all wanted the Spider-Woman popsicle. 

Penny didn’t even know they made Spider-Women popsicles. 

“You guys all want that one?” She asked, hoping they didn’t notice the tightness in her voice, glad she was wearing a mask. 

“Yeah, you're awesome!” Brandon said, smiling up at her like she was on some kinda pedestal, but all she was doing was buying them a treat. 

“Okay, we’ll take four of the Spider-Women popsicles, please.” Penny said as she handed the man the twenty. 

“And what would you like, Ma’am?” Penny was just about to say she didn’t want anything when a hand grasped her arm, causing her to look down. 

“You have to get something, too!” James said, and Penny couldn’t force herself to say no. Good, she was such a sap when it came to little kids.

“Okay, but wouldn’t it be a little weird if I was eating my own popsicle?” All four boys laughed, even the ice cream man let out a chuckle, but convinced her to get the treat after all. She took the 5 popsicles and her change from the man, thanking him quickly before she was being pulled away by the boys. 

“Okay, okay, don’t make me regret buying you this; you guys are allowed to have sugar, right?” Penny laughed, handing them each their treat and keeping the last one for herself. It was a crude rendition of her mask, with black gum balls for eyes, but she could still see the resemblance. 

“Can we take a picture?” Henry asked, already pulling out his phone. 

“Sure, I don’t see why not.” Penny took the phone from him and kneeled down so she could be in frame with them. She quickly pulled up her mask a little so she could stick the popsicle in her mouth, grinning around the icy treat. She almost choked when the boys did the same, barely able to keep their composure long enough for her to snap a couple pictures. She made sure there was a decent one before handing Henry back his phone, standing up as she did so. 

“Well, this has been fun kids, but I really have to go.” Penny slung her back pack back over her shoulder, and smiled back at the group of boys. “Stay out of trouble alright?” 

“We will, but we know you’ll save us if we do get in trouble!” James said, lips stained red already. 

“Of course I will. See you guys later!” Penny shot out a web and flipped away, swinging a few blocks before stopping at another random rooftop. 

Out of all the perks of being Spider-Women, that was most definitely her favorite. 

Those kids were the reason why she did what she did, why she pulled herself off her mattress on the floor each morning and worked her boring nine-to-five job. 

She wouldn’t change it for anything. 

——

Penny sighed, glad that her double shift was over at the café, and she could finally go home and relax. It was a long day of taking orders, cleaning tables and disinfecting public restrooms, but it covered the bills, so she really couldn’t complain. 

She often wondered how the customers would react if they knew that Spider-Women made their daily cup of coffee. Her shifts would certainly be busier, that’s for sure. 

Penny made her way back to her apartment, following the path that had long since been engraved in her mind. It was early evening, meaning that the streets were bustling with people trying to get home, just like she was, so she did her best to not bump into anyone as they breezed past. 

The young hero was just passing by a rather busy street when she heard something peculiar, a strange and out of place echoing coming from what seemed to be deep below the busy NewYork for traffic. Penny stepped off to the side, crouching low and gripping her left shoelaces in an act to tie them, but in reality she was straining her enhanced hearing, trying to pick up on the sound. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the noise around her, honing in on what she thought was an empty sewage system. She could barely make out the distorted conversation coming from deep below her. 

‘We better get back.’ 

Maybe some kids decided to go play in the underground sewage system? Maybe they got lost and couldn’t find their way out. 

Penny’s interest was peaked either way, not willing to take the chance on it actually being a group of kids. 

Penny stood up quickly and rejoined the food traffic, rushing home faster then she normally would. 

——

Spider-Women landed gracefully next to a man-hole, lifting the lid like it was a simple dinner plate and not a concrete slab, and set it aside. She took out the small flashlight she stored in her pocket and flashed it down the channel, not seeing anything but an old rusted ladder and sewage water. 

“Here goes nothing.” Penny took a deep breath and jumped feet first into the hole, webbing the metal disk back into place in one fluid motion, before landing on her feet with a splash, already cringing at the putrid smell. “Oh, this is so gross.” She straightened up and took out her flash light once more, shining it down one length of the tunnel then the other. She strained her hearing once more, and picked up the echoing conversation just like earlier. 

“Subject 224-B is taking well to the drug, sir; he’s lasted the longest out of all the test subjects.’ Penny's eyes widened, her feet silently splashing as she moved deeper into the tunnel, following the voices. 

‘This wasn’t just some kids who decided to adventure underground.’ Penny thought, rounding a corner and sneaking a glance at the room that was now before her. She could see an old rusted door, a single window bearing light into the room, and an insignia she would recognize anywhere. 

Hydra. Hydra had somehow taken over the sewage system under NewYork without anyone catching on. 

She kept forward, getting just close enough so that she could peer into the clouded glass, and shuddered. The room was filled with disfigured animals, some missing limbs or had a few to many, their skin and fur matted and discolored almost beyond recognition. Scientists were running tests on computers much too new for their environment, jotting down their findings in thickly padded leather journals. Penny backed away from the door, and silently made her way back down the sewage system. 

‘Why was Hydra experimenting on animals? What were they trying to do?’

Penny decided that now was not the time to get in a full on fight with Hydra, already thinking of a way she could alert The Avengers about her unexpected findings. She was almost back at the manhole, rushing as quickly as she could without alerting the enemy of her presence, when her Spider-Scene shot down her spine. She rolled out of the way just in time, a bullet digging into the concrete right where her head had been. She glanced up quickly and crouched low into a fighting stance, facing the guards that had snuck up on her. 

“Sorry guys, but I was just leaving; maybe we can do lunch sometime, catch—“ penny ducked when another shot rang out, and quickly shot out a web, effectively knocking the guards gun out of his hands. “Hey, no need to get feisty, things happen, plans change—“ Penny ran forward, appearing before the guards before they knew what hit them, and knocked the gun out of the other guys hands, webbing it to the wall beside them just to be safe. 

The hero could hear more splashing footsteps as they rushed their way; one of the guards must have tripped an alarm without her knowing. She knocked the first guy with a simple kick to the head, watching as he slashed down into the infested water at their feet. Penny couldn’t help but cringe. 

“Sorry man, that’s so disgusting. I’m going to have to bathe in purell when I get home, cause that’s just unsanitary.” Penny jumped back when the second guy swiped out a knife, just able to slice her arm while she was distracted. She clutched the wound for a moment before focusing back in on the guard. 

She needed to focus; the other hydra soldiers were almost here and she really would rather be gone by the time they joined the party. She had no intentions in getting into a full fledged fight to the death tonight. 

She once again jumped back, but this time landing on the wall below her exit, and shot out a web to subdue the last guard. She pushed the covering back off the opening, and was just about to pull herself back to the surface when the gun fire started again, multiple shots being unloaded in her direction before she could fully pull herself free. 

She scablemed out of the sewage system and webbed the manhole completely shut, before falling back onto the ground. 

Her side was screaming at her, and she didn’t have to look to know she had a very fresh and open bullet wound in her body. She forced herself up, letting out a strangled moan when she pulled on her injury. 

“Shit.” She cursed, her gloved hand coming back soaked in blood when she pressed it to her side. She hesitantly pulled back the hem of her suit, revealing the bloodyhole in her side. She sealed it shut the best she could with her webbing, almost letting out a scream at the sudden increase in pain. She was probably trapping in millions of germs from the rancid water that covered her, but she could only deal with one problem at a time. She pulled herself shakily to her feet after her wound was secure as it was going to get, pressing her hand once again to her side. She took a few unsteady steps forward before biting down on her tongue, shooting out a web and swinging to the nearest rooftop. She grunted when she hit the concrete, making sure to land on her good side, but still ended up crashing to her knees. She took a few deep breaths, before once again getting to her feet.

Penny wasn’t naïve, she knew that she couldn’t realistically treat a bullet wound by herself, so she decided to go to the only place she could really trust. 

—

It took her over an hour to swing to Avengers Compound in upstate NewYork, going as fast as she could without blacking out mid-swing. Her vision was getting spotty by the time she landed at the entrance to the facility, her legs barely able to hold her weight. 

She fell against the wall next to the door, letting out a breath she didn’t know she was holding when the pressure was finally off her side. The once clear webs were now a dark red, no longer holding her wound closed. She let her eyes shut for what seemed like a second, before someone was gently shaking her awake. 

“Spider-Women?” There was fear in the person's voice, but Penny couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes. She was just too tired. “Come on, kid; you got to stay with me!” The person above her was getting frantic, finding the bullet wound on her side and pressing down on it with strength. 

Penny groaned and tried to move away from the offending hands, but the person just pressed harder. 

“Friday, Where’s the med team?!” Penny forced an eye open, and could just make out the blurry figure of Sam Wilson. Sam looked down and caught her gaze through her darkened goggles when she turned to look at him. He pressed a hand to the back of her head, and smiled the best he could. 

“Hey Spider-kid, you’re going to be okay, you hear me? We’re going to get you patched up in no time, alright? Just stay awake.” 

The door next to them was thrown open then, and Penny couldn’t help the full body flinch that Incased her. 

Tony Stark landed at her side, a wild look full of panic and concern fixed right on her. “Spider-Women? Can you hear me, kid?” 

Tony may or may not be panicking. 

When Friday told him that Spider-Women had just entered the premises just shortly after dinner, he thought, ‘great’. He could finally thank her for what she had done for his family, and offer her some leftovers.

But then his A.I. told him that she was currently bleeding out on his front stoop, and he went into full blown panic mode, racing out of the living room with the rest of Avengers hot on his tail. 

Tony took the young hero’s hand in his, and grasped it tightly, not letting go even when the medical team showed up and loaded her on a backboard. 

If this was his daughter, he wouldn’t want her to feel alone or scared, no matter her age, so he stayed by her side all the way down to the med bay, whispering reassurances he wasn’t even sure she could hear. 

“You’re going to be okay, kid. I’ve got the best medical staff this side of the ocean has to offer, and besides, I still have to thank you for what you did for me, so you can’t kick the bucket now, alright? You’ve got to hold on.” He let go of her gloved hand only when his fingers were pried from hers, stopping the nurse for only a second before letting her go back to her team. 

“Don’t take off her mask, she has a secret identity to protect and it's not our place to reveal it, alright? Don’t take it off unless you absolutely have too.” The nurse looked like she was about to argue for a moment before nodding, promising to keep the girl's secret identity at the forefront of her mind before rushing off after her team. 

Tony fell back into one of the waiting room recliners, dropping his head heavily into his hands and breathing for what seemed to be the first time since he saw her. He only glanced up when he felt a familiar hand press into his shoulder. 

“How is she?” Rhodey asked, falling heavily into the chair beside his best friend. 

“A gunshot wound to the side and some cuts as far as I could tell. She is back with the med team now, Helen should be here in a few minutes.” Rhodey nodded, fully prepared to spend the rest of the night in the chair he sat in, knowing full well that his best friend wasn’t going to move. 

“That girl is full of surprises, isn’t she?” Tony almost snorted. 

“I have no idea what to make of her. We know she’s on the younger side, but we don’t know how young, and she shows up out of nowhere and saves Morgan’s life, only to vanish for a few weeks and almost die on our front step.” Tony let out a flustered sigh, not out of anger towards the young hero fighting for her life in his operating room, but towards himself. He prided himself on knowing every little thing about everything, and yet this girl was a mystery. He knew next to nothing about her. 

“Don’t beat yourself up, man. She doesn't want to be found out, and there’s really nothing you can do about it. If you try to dig deeper, then you’ll only scare her away. Let her come to you.” Rhodey said, leaning his head back and pushing the seat rest up on his recliner. 

“Like a parent who just had a fight with their teenager.” 

“You never know, there could very well be a teenager under that mask.” Tony cringed at the thought of a teenage girl chasing after a Hydra operative to rescue his daughter. His breath picked up when he realized that a teenager was currently fighting for her life in his operating room. 

“Hey man, we don’t know her true age for sure yet, so there's no need to get all panicky on me. Whoever’s in there is strong; she’s going to pull through.” 

But it really didn’t matter how old she was, did it? She was still hurt, still out there in a onesie fighting street crime with nothing to gain from it. 

She was going to be the best out of all of them, so she had to pull through. 

——

The other heroes slowly filled the waiting room as the hours ticked by, claiming the empty recliners for as long as it took for the masked hero to come out of surgery. 

Tony took a quick scan of the room, and almost smiled at the sight. Sam and Bucky we’re sharing a couch, sharing a pair of earbuds and watching a random movie off of a tablet. Steve was on the recliner next to them, sketching what looked to be the vase of flowers on the floor across from them, while Natasha laid across Clint without care about The Archers personal space. 

Pepper was curled up at his side, Morgan safely tucked in her bed while Happy watched over her, no doubt snoring in the recliner by her bookshelf. 

It was almost a happy family gathering, but then Tony remembered why they were all there to begin with. 

It was nearing two in the morning, and the man’s eyes were just bringing to inch shut after hours of blinking abruptly awake when Helen Cho tapped his shoulder gently, waking him from his haze. Tony removed his arm from around Pepper instantly and stood, and gestured for Helen to follow him out of the waiting room and into the vacant hallway, not wanting to wake his friends. 

“Is she okay?” He asked, skipping the pleasantries in favor of getting the news he had been fretting over for hours. Helen gave him a tired smile, no doubt exhausted after the extensive surgery she just performed. 

“She’s going to be fine, Tony. She lost a lot of blood, but the bullet didn’t hit anything major, and she’s already showing signs of healing. We had to use the sedative that we usually use on Steve and Bucky, but even then we feared she might wake up. Her healing factor is incredible, and far more advanced than anything I’ve seen before.” The doctor said, causing the older man to hum in agreement. 

“Can I see her?” 

“You can pop in for a couple of minutes just to see her with your own eyes, but that’s it. She’s going to be unconscious at least till morning, and you both need your rest.” Helen led the way back to the waiting room then, opening the double doors and walking briskly towards the hospital rooms set up in the back. She hesitated outside the first door and turned towards her boss with a pointed glare. 

“Only a few minutes Tony; if you’re not out in ten minutes I’ll send in your wife, she’s the only one you really listen to anyways.” Helen said with a smirk before heading back to her personal room within the med bay. 

“No need for threats doc, I’ll be out of your hair soon.” Tony already had a hand grasped around the door handle, pushing it open as quietly as he could. He walked into the spacious room and made his way over to the young hero’s bed. A medical mask was placed snugly over her facial features in place of her usual mask, and Tony couldn’t help but commend his medical staff for their efforts. You could still clearly see the girl's closed eyes, fair skin and frizzy brown hair, but her identity was kept a relative secret to those that caught a glimpse of her face. She looked almost peaceful despite the wires and too pale skin. Someone had chosen to dress her in sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt instead of the standard hospital gown, to which Tony was grateful. She looked to be merely asleep. 

Tony leaned down slightly and placed a steady finger against the girl's neck, measuring her heartbeat for himself instead of just looking at her heart monitor. This felt more sure, and settled the last of the worry that was circling in his gut only minutes before. He tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear before standing and left with one last glance, deciding that she was as healthy and safe as she was going to get. He softly clicked the door behind him and made his way back out into the waiting room, noticing immediately that Rhodey was awake. He sat back down next to his friend and stifled another yawn. 

“How is she?” Rhodey asked, stretching out his back with a groan. 

“She’s going to be fine, a little banged up and a few liters of blood lighter, but she’s going to make a full recovery. Apparently she’s got a healing factor that rivals even Steve’s, so that’s definitely working in her favor. Helen said we can come back in the morning.” Both men stood up in sync, Tony leaning down to gently wake up Pepper while Rhodey made his way through the room, waking up each one of his teammates and softly as he could. Everyone agreed to leave for the night with the reassurance that the aspiring hero sleeping in the next room was going to be okay. 

Tony wrapped a firm arm around his wife, nodded to his best friend, and managed a quiet good night to his team before making the long trek to his suite at the compound. Both parents popped their hands in to check in on their daughter, finding her sleeping soundly in her bed surrounded by an army of stuffed animals, and had to stifle their laughs at the sight of Happy lounged in his recliner. His feet were kicked up, a princess blanket covering maybe half of him, with a stuffed bunny tucked securely under his arm. Tony debated just leaving him there for the night, as he seemed comfortable enough, but ultimately decided on being a good friend and waking him. He made his way silently across his daughters bedroom, keeping a trained ear for any rustling sheets, and stopped as his friends side. He tapped the man on the shoulder a couple times just enough to rouse him, and smiled at the disgruntled groan he gave in response. Happy was on his feet, suite rumpled and his tie gone, before Tony could say anything else. 

“How’s the kid?” Happy asked as soon as the youngest Stark’s door was closed with a barely audible click. 

“She’s going to be fine, currently sleeping peacefully three floors below us. She should wake up sometime in the morning, and I have Friday monitoring her room. She’ll let me know when she wakes up.” Tony said, nodding goodnight to his friend with a promise to keep him updated, and headed off to bed himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you guys in 3-ish days!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny stood up from her perch and turned her back to The Tower with the intention of heading back closer to Queens when a bolt of electricity zapped down her spine, causing her hair to stand on end and her chest to clench. She had just enough time to duck down and Shield her eyes before an explosion shook the tower before her, the shockwave knocking her onto her back with a grunt, her vision blurring around the edges as smoke filled the sky instantly. It took her a moment to regain her bearings, her head swimming as she slowly sat up and looked at the wreckage before her. She had to blink a few times, not just to clear her vision from the floating dust and smoke around her, but to truly comprehend what just happened.
> 
> Avengers Tower, complete and whole just a moment ago, had a huge gaping whole right through it's core, fire slowly engulfing it's structure
> 
> Or
> 
> Avengers tower is attacked and Morgan would have been kidnapped by Hydra if not for a very mysterious Spidering who happens to be at the right place at the right time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> Okay, so technically I could end this story here, but I don’t think I’m going to. I have more planned for this little fic of mine, but it’s not written out yet so the next chapter might take me a little longer to post.   
> Also, I changed the chapter length to unknown because I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to finish this, so sorry about that.   
> It’d really help me out if you could comment some suggestions on what you want to see happen, because the way this chapter ends could be considered as a new beginning, or ark if you will. So leave you comments about what you would like to see.

Penny sucked in a slow breath, feeling the luxury sheets below her with a sloppy hand. She kept her eyes shut, taking in as much of her surroundings as she could in her delusional state. She was clearly on something, a needle in her arm supplying a steady stream of sedative. She could feel fabric over half her face, and a monitor on her finger. 

The last thing she remembered was accidentally uncovering a Hydra base in the sewage system beneath her city; which—by the way was unbelievably gross—fighting somebody—climbing a ladder? And then nothing. Her mind fuzzed out then, TV static covering what happens next. 

Penny relaxed for a moment, shuffling around a bit on her bed causing a sharp pain to travel through her side. She brought a hand to her abdomen and pressed it against her skin, feeling the soft, stiff texture of a medical gauze. That had her memories clicking abruptly into place, panic shooting through her once relaxed body. 

She was shot. She was shot trying to get out without being seen—did she get out? 

Her eyes flew open then, and she was already reaching down and ripping the needle out of her arm. She sat up and glanced around the spacious room, filled with top of the line medical equipment. This was no ordinary hospital. There were no windows in the room, only the soft yellow glow of the overhead lights, and that sent her tumbling out of bed. She was dressed in someone else’s clothes instead of the standard issue hospital gown. 

Where the fuck was she?

Penny silently made her way to the door of the hospital room, clutching her side when the movement sent a twang through it. She opened the door and slipped out, listening for any incoming footsteps. 

She could hear people above and below her, some asleep and some moving around, but it was the one presence making its way down the hallway that she currently occupied that had her scrambling, running the opposite way in a rush to get away. She couldn’t rule out friend or foe just yet, so she decided that it was her best interest to avoid getting caught. She easily found the exit stairwell and started heading down, only stumbling slightly when her left foot caught the edge of a stair. 

She was almost all the way down when red flashing lights filled the narrow space around her, no blaring alarms just yet, but she had her answer. 

She was definitely not somewhere safe. 

Penny ran down the last flight of stairs and pushed open the exit door, immediately feeling the rush of cool air around her. It was still dark out, but the hero’s eyes adjusted accordingly, showing the path before her in clarity. She didn’t have any shoes on, and the structure she was being held in was surrounded by a dense forest, but that didn’t stop her from running into the foliage. 

“Spider-Woman!” Someone said from behind her, catching a quick glimpse of her as she entered the forest. Penny didn’t stop, just kept running forward, hoping that the dense population of trees would give way to a road she could follow back to the city. She had no idea how far she was away from NewYork, and nothing looked familiar, but she was unwilling to turn back now. 

Penny quickly jumped onto the tree branch above her, pulling herself up with ease despite the healing wound on her side. She climbed up a little higher before pausing, watching the people below her with a birds eye view. 

“Spider-Woman?! Come on, kid! You’re alright, you're safe!” The man below her was calling, and Penny couldn’t immediately place the familiar voice. “Any sight of her, Sam?” Sam? 

‘Was that Captain America?’ The young hero thought, manovoring her position until she was perching right above the man. 

“Tony’s freaking out. We’ve got to find her before she hurts herself.” Steve said, talking into his coms while listening to his surroundings. He couldn’t hear any crunching of fallen leaves except from the ones under his own feet, and the wind was howling too hard for him to pick up a heartbeat, or any breathing. The man sighed, turning around to look in another area of the forest and coming face to face with the missing hero; only she wasn’t standing before him; she was hanging upside down from a tree branch. 

Steve let out a short scream and scrambled back, almost losing his footing when he stepped on a rock. He put a hand to his chest quickly and let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding—“Jesus kid, you almost gave me a heart attack; what are you doing up there?” Steve asked, watching as the girl dropped from her branch and landed silently in front of him. Steve reached out a hand automatically to steady her, but she righted herself quickly. “Are you alright, Spider-Woman?” 

“You're not Hydra.” The girl said simply, acting almost disappointed that he wasn’t. 

“No, I’m not. I’m about as far away from Hydra as you can get. Why did you think I was Hydra?” The older man said while trying to simultaneously lead her out of the forest. She wasn’t wearing any shoes, and he could see the suppressed shivers she was trying to hide. 

“Because they were the ones who shot me.” Steve startled at that, looking down at the girl at his side and just now noticing that she was without a mask. He quickly averted his eyes, feeling as though he was looking at something that wasn’t supposed to be seen. 

“Hydra shot you?” Penny sighed, and was just about to jump into the lengthy explanation that was her night when she heard rushing footsteps coming up from behind. It took only a moment for Tony Stark to make it in front of the pair, and to gather the young girl straight into his arms. 

It was Penny’s turn to startle, not expecting the man to gather her up in his arms like he did. She waited a moment before hesitantly wrapping her arms around him, burying her head into his chest. She closed her eyes, suppressing the sudden urge to cry. 

It’s been so long since someone’s hugged her like this. It was almost like her aunt May’s arms were around her once again, pulling her close and whispering that she loved her while they swayed around their living room. 

Penny ducked her head further, choking back a sob, mortified that she was crying openly into her hero's arms, but Tony took it in stride, seemingly glad to be able to provide her the comfort she needed. 

“Hey, it’s alright Spiderling, you’re alright. I’ve got you.” Tony said, running a hand through the girls messy curls, swaying them gently back and forth. He gripped her a little tighter when that seemed to make her cry even harder, and prepared himself to stay there as long as he needed to. He gave a silent nod to Steve, indicating that he had the situation under control, and the younger man made his way back towards the compound with a nod.

“I’m sorry.” Penny said, and Tony immediately decided that he never wanted to hear her apologize again. 

“None of that, kid. You’ve got nothing to be sorry for, especially to me. We’ve all got to let out a little steam every now and again, and you’ve had a very stressful night.” Penny removed herself from his hold and wiped futility at her eyes. The tears just wouldn’t stop now that they’ve started. The mechanic quickly put his arm around her and started the slow truck back to The Compound, in no hurry to get back. Penny let him guide her, relishing in the warmth that the man provided. 

“You doing alright, Spider-Woman?” Tony asked with such trust and concern in his voice that Penny made a split second decision, not even thinking before she blurted out the word. 

“Penny.” She whispered, head ducked low. 

Tony leaned down and tried to catch the young girl's eye, but she kept a steady gaze on her bare feet. Why wasn’t she wearing shoes?—“Come again?” 

Penny sucked in a deep breath and looked the man in the eye, “my name is Penny; I mean I just ruined your shirt, so the least I can do is give you my name.” Penny said, cracking a small smile that had Tony grinning. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Penny. I’m Tony Stark.” The man said, pulling her a little closer, causing her to laugh. 

“I know who you are, Mr. Stark, I think the whole world knows who you are.” The girl laughed, eyes lighting up for a second. 

“Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself, then? Even out the playing field a bit.” Penny thought that question would scare her more than it did, but it didn’t. She trusted the man whose arm she was under, more so then she cared to admit. 

“Okay, well, my name’s Penelope Parker, but everyone calls me Penny. I’m, ah—seventeen.” Tony stilled at that. He knew she was young, but he expected her to be of age at least. “I work at a café in Queens, and fight crime in my spare time. There’s not much to tell, Mr. Stark.” Penny said, her cheeks flushing at how boring her life sounded, despite her rather eventful night life. 

“Don’t you go to school?” They 're almost back at the compound entrance now, but Tony didn’t want their little walk to end. He was afraid she would stop being so open the second they stepped inside. 

“Not really, no. I graduated early.” The older man gave her an impressed look, humming in approval. 

“A little genius, huh? That means you developed your web shooters yourself, then?” 

Penny blushed at the compliment, ducking down again. “Yeah, in my highschool science class.” The girl chuckled, slightly afraid of the man’s opinion on her mixing unauthorized chemicals at school, but he looked nothing but impressed, a gleam shining in his eye. 

“Well, She’s also got a rebellious side. That’s impressive, kid. What about your powers? I know you’ve got enhanced strength and a handy-dandy healing factor, but what else can you do?” Tony asked when they reached the front entrance, but instead of heading inside he made a split second decision and sat down on the bench right outside the door, gesturing for Penny to join him. The girl did, popping down with a sigh, a thoughtful look in her eye. 

“Well, I can stick to things, and my senses are all super attuned to everything around me as well. I have this danger sense? I can sense when something bad is about to happen before it happens, that’s how I’m able to dodge attacks the way I do. I can hear, smell, and see pretty much everything for blocks. It’s really handy when I’m fighting crime, but it also gives me major sensory overloads sometimes. Umm—I’m super flexible I guess? I don’t know if that can be considered a superpower, though. I guess that’s it.” Penny shrugged, listing her powers like they were her grocery list, pulling her knees up to her chest almost subconsciously. 

“Kid, you just named the most impressive arsenal of enhancements I’ve ever heard of in a person, and I personally know Steve Rodgers—“ Tony placed a calloused hand onto the girls shoulder, squeezing softly—“that’s stupid impressive, and you’re only seventeen. God, just wait till you grow up a little more, you’ll be the best out of all of us; you’ll be better than I ever was at least.” Penny’s head snapped up at that, gaping openly at the man sitting next to her. 

“You’re Tony Stark.” She said, like it explained everything, like the single statement was the solution to any problem. The amount of faith she had in him almost reached the level of pride Tony felt towards her. 

God, he just met the girl and he already felt like he’d known her for years; he couldn’t explain it really. 

Maybe it had a little to do with her saving Morgan’s life, or that look of admiration in her eye, but Tony had no intentions of letting her remain a stranger. 

“You're something else, you know that Penny? Trust me when I say you’re going to be the future, I don’t know how yet, whether it be through breakthroughs in sience or from being a superhero, but you’re it.” 

And if the girl had to wipe discreetly under her eyes when Tony offered her his hand, then that was nobody business but their own. 

——

It was nearing sunrise when the pair finally made it back into the compound, Penny’s slight shivering alerting Tony that she still didn’t have any shoes on. The man guided her straight into the living room, pushing her gently down onto the couch when she hesitated. He wrapped a thick wool blanket around her shoulders, and it didn’t take long for the girl to curl up into a tight ball, making herself look even smaller. 

“Thank you, Mr. Stark.” Penny said, watching him walk into the kitchen, pulling down a large pan from the overhead rack, and grabbing a large mixing bowl from the cabinet. 

“How do you feel about pancakes, kid? Maybe some bacon and eggs.” Tony asked, already mixing the batter despite her lack of answer. He turned around when he heard almost silent footsteps coming up behind him. He didn’t hesitate to point his spatula at the girl accusingly. “Why are you up? Go lay back down, Pen. I don’t care how fast you say your healing factor is, you were still shot not even twenty four hours ago. You shouldn’t even be out of bed yet.” Tony put a hand on her shoulder and tried to guide her back to the living room, but Penny protested, gently pulling out of his grip and feeling around her side. She lifted up her shirt a little and peeled back the bandage, showing an almost completely healed bullet wound. Tony’s eyes widened, and he put down the spatula in favor of getting a better look. The hole in her side looked not hours old, but days, dare he say weeks. In place of the oozing wound was a red blotchy mark, barely noticeable except for the discoloration. 

“Wow, when you said you had a fast healing factor, I thought you meant ‘above the average human,’ not energizer-bunny fast. That’s remarkable.” 

“The nutrients and fluids you guys gave me in that IV really helped it along, and it will be completely gone once I eat something. My healing factor relies on food and sleep to work. The more food I eat, the faster I heal.” Penny said, walking up to the counter and picking up the spatula. Tony gently flicked her wrist in reprimand, gesturing for his spatula back. 

“All the more reason to feed you, and no way you're helping me cook, kiddo. You're the guest. Pepper would have a conception if she saw you at the stove.” He shooed her away, laughing at the displeased look she gave him, looking all too much like his wife despite not having met her yet. 

All the more proof that she belonged here 

She was fitting in like the missing piece to a finished puzzle, squeezing her way in and making it feel like she was there all along. 

“Fine, but I’m paying you back for breakfast.” Penny said seriously, and Tony snorted so loud it hurt his throat. 

“Kid, I’m a billionaire! I think I can afford some eggs.” He said, flipping a pancake over before it burned. 

“That’s not the point, sir. I’m going to repay you back somehow, not just for breakfast, but for literally saving my life.” She whispered the last part, rubbing her hands together anxiously. Tony turned to her and rested his back against the handle of the oven. 

“That was all you, kiddo. I wouldn’t have had any idea you were even hurt if you hadn’t come to the compound. You saved yourself.” Tony could see that she disagreed, but he didn’t give her time to doubt herself—“How did you get shot, anyway?” 

Penny stilled for a second before going lax once again, sighing into her nestled arms. “I wasn’t actively looking for the base, I swear. I just keep ending up in the right place at the right time, I guess. Or, since it’s Hydra we’re talking about, you could say it’s the wrong place and the wrong time. I heard something weird going on in the sewers on my way home from work, and decided to check it out just in case it was some kids who got lost or something down there. It turned out to be our missing Hydra base. I got shot trying to escape before they noticed me.” Penny said, making Tony turn around once again, the breakfast cooking behind him almost leaving from his attention completely. 

“You were shot by Hydra? You found the base?” He asked, trying to keep his voice low. 

“It was an accident, I swear.” Penny’s voice shook a little at the man’s tone, and Tony immediately felt bad. 

“I’m not mad at you, Penny. I was just surprised.” Tony sighed, putting the pancake he was cooking on a plate before turning back around. “You said they were in the sewage system?” 

Penny nodded, “I was going to tell you as soon as I got back above ground, but things got a little side tracked. I figured the safest place for me to go was here, not only for treatment, but because they saw Spider-Woman in their base.” Penny sighed then, looking almost guilty. “I freaked out earlier because I didn’t exactly remember coming here. I didn’t know where I was, and I thought Hydra somehow caught me or something, and then the lights started flashing, and I didn’t know what to do.” Tony walked up to her then, a plate in each arm piled high with food, and took the seat across from her. 

“Yeah, that was partly my fault. Friday saw that you were missing and tripped the alarm, not realizing that it would freak you out even more. And no need to feel ashamed kid. We all would have acted the same way, heck we all probably have at some point. The business we’re in is tough, and you’ve got to always be looking out for your own skin, especially when you’re alone.” Tony pushed a plate towards her, placing the bottle of syrup by her plate—“and you were smart coming here. No way of knowing what would have happened if you didn’t. I always want you to come here when you need to, alright? You’re always welcome here.” Tony took a bite of his eggs then, indicating that the girl should start eating before her food got cold. He watched with a smirk as Penny moved her eggs and bacon to the very edge of her plate, pushing them up onto the sides as far as they could go before doing the same to her pancakes. Once she was satisfied with the distance between her different foods, she drowned her pancakes in syrup. She looked up at him while putting the bottle back in its place, blushing when she saw his smirk. 

“I don’t like my food touching.” She laughed, sticking a piece of bacon into her mouth. Tony got up from his seat and got her another small plate, placing it down next to her with a smile. 

“Morgan’s the same way, she won’t eat it if anything of different consistencies or color touches.” Tony sat back down, digging into his meal once more. Penny soon followed, her food separated to her liking, a smile lighting up her face. 

“Thank you, Mr. Stark.” She said, shoving a piece of pancake in her mouth. 

“You’re welcome, kid.”

——

After their impromptu breakfast at the crack of dawn, Tony led Penny back to the living room, pushing her down onto the couch with a gentle and playful shove. He threw the blanket she discarded earlier back over her lap and took his place in the love seat by the couch, turning on the TV. He made sure she was laying down to his liking before turning his attention towards the random movie playing on the screen. Tony knew without a doubt that the girl beside him would fall back asleep in no time; she was still healing despite what she said about her side, and the man could clearly see how exhausted she was. He waited about thirty minutes before slowly getting up, padded over the plush carpet and tucking the blanket more firmly around the girls sleeping form. 

“Is she doing okay?” Someone asked from behind him, and Tony startled so hard he almost fell back into the couch where Penny was resting. He turned quickly, spotting Rhodey in the doorway and put a quick finger to his lips, shushing the man before he could make any more noise. He led the two of them back towards the kitchen before deciding they weren’t far enough away from her enhanced hearing, and brought them downstairs to his lab. 

“She’s asleep, poor girls exhausted after everything that happened last night. She fell back asleep maybe thirty minutes ago.” Both men fell back into Tony’s worn out couch, sighing in content once they were situated. 

“You look pretty exhausted yourself, Tones.” Rhodey said, eyeing the younger man out of the corner of his vision. 

“I’m fine; I’m used to running on little sleep, and she’s still healing.” The circles under his eyes and weariness in his bones clearly contradicted his statement, but Rhodey chose to ignore the topic for now. 

Rhodey watched as Tony leaned farther back into the couch, his eyes barely slits as he tried to keep them open. He waited until the man was snoring softly into the couch cushion to get up, his leg braces whirring and clicking into place. He made the silent track back up to the common, and wasn’t overly surprised to see that the young hero was no longer asleep on the couch. She was sitting crossed legged in front of the floor to ceiling window, staring out at the city below her. 

“Hello Colonel Rhodes.” Penny said, having heard him from all the way down stairs. She waited until he was a few feet behind her to stand, slowing twisting around to greet the older man. She held out a hand and he grasped it readily, “my name is Penny, and it’s really nice to meet you officially, sir.” Despite her mature tone and structure, Rhodey could see the blush that was slowly creeping up her neck, and how her free hand was clutching her shirt tightly, a clear sign that she was nervous. Rhodey smiled, putting as much warmth and trust as he could behind his greeting, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder when she dropped his hand. 

“The pleasure is all mine, Penny. It’s nice to finally know who’s behind the mask. Are you healing up alright?” Rhodey led them back towards the living, waiting until she was sitting comfortably on the couch before taking a seat himself. 

“Oh, I’m fine Sir. I heal really fast so there’s no reason to worry; I’m sorry for causing such a scene earlier.” The girls head dropped low, the blush returning full force. 

“There’s nothing to apologize for, kid. We take care of our own here, and please just call me Rhodey. All this title stuff is making me feel old.” Rhodey said, leaning forward and resisting his elbows on his leg braces. 

“Thank you Sir— I mean Rhodey. Thank you for everything.” Rhodey smiled, taking the girls unnecessary apologies and thanks in stride, starting to figure out that she was the kind of person that took manners a little too seriously. He flipped on the television to try and break some of the tension that was slowly building in the room, and it seemed to work for the most part. Penny turned her attention on the show, laughing at all the right moments and relaxing back into her seat. 

They stayed in a comfortable silence until the girl perked up slightly, peering down the hallway long before anyone made an appearance. Sam, Bucky and Steve joined the duo in the living room a couple minutes later, still dressed in workout clothes from their early morning run. The trio entered the living room, except to find it deserted at such an early hour, but paused when they saw Penny and Rhodey lounging on the couches. The girl immediately stood, approaching the older heros slowly. She stepped up to Sam and held out a hand much like she did to Rhodey, trying to suppress the blush that was creeping up on her and keeping a tight grip on her shirt. Sam easily took her hand, grinning when she let out a little smile of her own. 

“It’s nice to meet you officially, Mr. Wilson; I’m Penny Parker. Thanks for helping me out yesterday.” The girl said, pretty positive that it was Sam who first found her. She remembered the way he comforted her, keeping her calm even though he was fighting off his own panic. 

“Nice to meet you, kiddo, and it’s just Sam. Mr. Wilson was my father.” Sam said, shaking her hand before passing her along to Steve, who looked all too eager to meet the girl. 

“It’s good to see you up and around Penny, but I got to ask if you should be. You were shot less then a day ago.” Steve said, keeping his voice gentle but he couldn’t help the concern that spilled through. He eyed the girl for any signs of noticeable discomfort, but didn’t find anything. 

“I’m alright Captain Rodgers, I heal really fast. I can barely feel it anymore.” 

“Well I’d be out for at least another day with that kind of wound. Why don’t you come sit down in the kitchen while I make breakfast? You must be hungry.” Steve said, already leading the girl towards the kitchen island and pulling out a stool for her. 

“Oh, Mr. Stark already made me breakfast, thank you though.” Penny said, sitting down nonetheless and crossing her arms over the counter top and glancing at everyone else that occupied the room. Steve was already at the stove cooking up what must be a whole carton of eggs and Costco size bag of bacon while Sam stood at the blender, making a very large batch of smoothie for everyone, a line of glasses already waiting to be filled. They acted like a team in and out of the field, weaving past each other and grabbing items for their friends before they even knew they needed them. The sight had Penny smiling, and a little tearful if she was being honest. 

She worked by herself, covering her own six so it was awe inspiring to see how well a group of people could work together, so in tune to each other’s movements that they could almost predict their next step before it even happened. 

Penny wanted that; she wanted to be able to trust someone so fully and be so attuned to their movements that she didn’t have to even think before she acted, and she realized after a moment that she had that. There was a time in her life where she had people to put her faith in, that she would follow off a ledge if they said it was the right thing to do solely on the fact that she knew they would never hurt her, but those people were six feet under now and lived on solely in her memories. 

Penny stood up from her chair abruptly, the legs scraping loudly against the kitchen tile and drawing everyone’s attention to her. She had the sudden need to flee the room, to run before she grew attached to the people around her—and ultimately end up getting hurt in the end, because that was the Parker Curse. You love too hard and lose it all in the end, and Penny refused to let it happen again. 

She refused to buy flowers for anymore graves. 

“I-I really should get going— I have to work the night shift and I have to get home and get ready and I—“Penny was rambling, and would have continued the verbal descend into the metaphorical hole she was digging herself if it wasn’t for the hand that landed on her shoulder, startling her enough to snap her mouth shut. She looked over her shoulder to see Sam at her side, looking at her in concern, his eyes holding something deeper that she just couldn’t decipher at the moment. 

“You okay kid?” He asked, but Penny was already nodding, smoothing down her shirt and taking deep, controlled breaths. 

“I’m fine—I’m fine Sir, thank you. I should really be getting home now though, I have a shift tonight that I can’t miss.” Penny didn’t miss the look that traveled through the room, everyone seeming to have a conversation on a whole different wavelength, and that just made her close off more. She gently shrugged Sam’s hand off her shoulder and took quick steps backwards, realizing too late that she was heading right towards a mass of super soldiers. Her Spidey screamed just as she knocked into a broad chest, a pair of arms keeping her from crashing to the floor, either from the shock or embarrassment she wasn’t sure. 

“I’m sorry—“ she stuttered, twisting downwards in order to escape the hold she was in. 

“What’s going on Penny?” Steve asked, standing beside Bucky who’s arms she just evaded. 

“Nothing— nothings wrong, I just have to get to work. I didn’t realize the time and I still have stuff to do today. Patrol— and stuff.” Penny was making a fool of herself, stuttering and stumbling over her words and movements, acting as far from her superhero alias as she could get. She watched as Bucky grabbed his keys from his pocket, Steve trailing behind. 

“We’ll give you a ride home then, we were planning on going out anyways.” Steve said, reaching towards Penny with the intention of wrapping an arm around her shoulder, but the girl once again avoided him. She ducked out of the way, spinning around until she was facing the elevators. She was half a step away from her freedom, just about to open the stairway and run away from her problems like she always did, when the elevator door opened. 

Pepper and Morgan Stark stepped out of the elevator, the little girl resting on her mother’s hip, when they noticed the teenager in front of them. Pepper stopped, confused for only a moment before she smiled, realizing right away who was before her. 

“Well hello there, I have someone here who has been dying to meet you.” The older woman smiled, reaching with her free arm and pulling the girl, who looked to be almost in tears, into her arms. Penny stilled again, blinking back the tears that happened every time she got a hug, which in of itself was pathetic. 

“Who’s this, mommy?” Morgan asked, peeking around her mother’s hold to get a look at the older girl. 

“Who do you think it is, Morgan?” Pepper said, moving Penny around in her embrace so her daughter could see the hero’s face. Morgan studied her with the keen Stark eye, squinting slightly and clocking her head to the side in thought. She stuck her rounded out in concentration for a second, before her eyes lit up like a light bulb, and a huge grin took over her features. 

“Spider-Woman!” She all but yelled, squirming in her mother’s arms and reaching out to Penny. Penny took the hint and removed herself from Peppers arms, and settled Morgan into her arms, much like she did on the night of the attack. The little girl wrapped herself around the hero, tucking her head into the crock of her neck and whispered so only Penny could hear. 

“Thank you for saving me.” Penny cried for real then, leaning down until she could hide away into the girl's hair. 

“I’ll save you anytime, Morgan.” Penny said, clutching the girl to her chest, “and I couldn’t have done it without you, you were so brave that night, so I should be thanking you to.” 

Penny lifted her head and looked around the room, noticing that Tony’s was now in the room, arms wrapped around his wife and tearful eyes watching the pair. He smiled when he caught Penny looking at him, nodding his head slightly. 

Penny looked at everyone else, catching each one of her hero’s as they smiled at her, and she couldn’t help the feeling of belonging that built up inside her. 

Maybe this was where she belonged after all, surrounded by people just like her, letting belonging embrace her instead of being alone like she was destined to be. 

She smiled, big and wide back at everyone. 

Yeah, this is where she was meant to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading, don’t forget to comment what you would like to see, and leave a kudos if you enjoyed! 
> 
> Thanks!


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